Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program 

Yad Vashem

Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority, was established by the Israeli Parliament in 1953. Located on the Mount of Remembrance in Jerusalem, Yad Vashem is dedicated to Holocaust remembrance, documentation, research and education. Through the International School for Holocaust Studies, the Museum Complex, the International Institute for Holocaust Research and Publications Department, the Library and Archives, the Hall of Names, and its monuments and memorials, Yad Vashem seeks to meaningfully impart the legacy of the Shoah for generations to come. 

International Institute for Holocaust Research

In light of increased international interest in the Shoah, and the desire to encourage and support worldwide scholarly research on the Shoah and related topics, Yad Vashem established the International Institute for Holocaust Research in 1993.  The Institute actively develops and coordinates international research; plans and engages in scholarly projects; organizes symposia, conferences, and seminars; fosters cooperative projects among research institutions; provides financial and academic support for scholars and students of the Shoah; offering PhD and postdoctoral fellowships; and publishes academic research, documentation, conference anthologies, diaries, memoirs, and albums about the Shoah. 

Archives and Library

Yad Vashem's Archives and Library, the largest central repository of Holocaust documentation in the world, is made readily available to visiting researchers. The Archives’ 138 million pages of documentation, 400,000 photographs and over 102,000 survivor testimonies includes, documents from Jewish and non-Jewish institutions, Nazi documentation, copies of records from Eastern European archives, maps, photographs, films, diaries, letters, in addition to the Library’s more than 126,000 titles and several thousand journals on the Holocaust. The Institute can provide visiting researchers with  a work space, basic secretarial help (not research assistants), and access to computer with Internet, telephone, facsimile machine, photocopier, and advice in locating archival and other materials. Fellows are encouraged to take advantage of relevant source material housed in other institutions throughout the country such as: the Israel State Archives, the National Library, the Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People, the Central Zionist Archives, and the Ghetto Fighters’ Museum.

Eligibility

All applicants must have either a Ph.D. or J.D. or M.D. degree.
Project proposals must be related to the Holocaust (including its antecedents and aftermath).

Recipients are not allowed to work or receive other research scholarships during their tenure at Yad Vashem. They are to spend the entire fellowship period in Israel engaged in research and writing. Any planned absences such as conferences, symposia, and extended holiday travel must be conveyed to the director of the Institute two months prior to the commencement of the research period. A researcher must be at Yad Vashem 5 days per week, Sunday – Thursday. If one plans to use another archives, the researcher must submit a request prior to the date that she/he wishes to be conducting research outside of Yad Vashem.

Each fellow is obliged to submit to the Institute a scientific treatise based on the research conducted at Yad Vashem six months after the tenure of his/her fellowship has been completed. Yad Vashem will have exclusive "first rights" to publish this research manuscript in any language. If Yad Vashem decides not to exercise this option, the researcher is free to publish this work elsewhere.

An application packet consists of: 

• A completed application form.
• A curriculum vitae (maximum 2 pages).
• A four to five page (1,250-1,500 words) detailed research project proposal that the applicant plans to undertake during the term of the fellowship (See below for more details).
• Two letters of recommendation from reputable academics who are familiar with the applicant's work. Recommendation letters should include evaluation of the applicant's proposed research as well as the overall quality of the applicant's work. These letters may be sent with the application or directly to the Institute from the recommender. The letters must be received before the application deadline.

Please submit the application packet to the following address either by postal mail, fax or email as scanned copies: 

Eliot Nidam Orvieto
The International Institute for Holocaust Research
Yad Vashem
P.O. Box 3477
Jerusalem 9103401
Israel
972-2-644 3480 or eliot.nidam@yadvashem.org.il

The Research Proposal

The four to five page (1,250-1,500 words) detailed research project proposal must be included in the application packet. The proposal should contain the following:

• An analysis of the problem to be addressed, its background, and the reason of its importance.
• The basic ideas and hypotheses that are to be explored.
• Reference to the proposed study’s originality in light of the current research on the topic.
• The methodology and/or approach that will be used.
• The body of resource material that will be utilized while at the Institute and in Israel.
• Estimated time to complete the entire research project.

Fellowship award results will be announced in March 2015

www.yadvashem.org